Post by Aeon17CE on Feb 8, 2016 14:29:09 GMT -5
After investigating a few possible options, I've discovered some of the tradeoffs of various methods of getting DeathDrome to run on modern hardware. Here's the basic rundown:
1) DeathDrome runs best in a Virtual Machine.
I've tried things like DxWnd to get it to run in a window (or windowed fullscreen) with hooks for DX3, and it just isn't reliable. Even with CPU optimization enabled, modern versions of DirectX just are not having any of it. Speed is unreliable, graphics are glitchy, and even on Intel processors, it still throws the ZERR_OK business once in a while. In a virtual machine running Windows XP, though, at 640x480 in 256 color mode, it runs at a stable framerate, physics aren't all wonky, and graphics are relatively stable. (The only issue I've run into so far is some strangeness when going from gameplay to menus, the screen splits along scanlines and displays in a funny resolution.) On the whole, it is totally playable, and I've even successfully connected to Kali and played online games this way.
2) DeathDrome runs best on an Intel processor.
This isn't news to anyone. We all know that the AMD crack has broken sound and stuff for years.
Right now, I have a package which contains a VirtualBox hard disk image of Windows XP, with DeathDrome and Kali installed, and a disc image of my retail DeathDrome CD that you can mount to both get around the CD check, and get CD audio from. On Intel processors, this works perfectly. This is the best option. On AMD processors, you have to use the AMD/No-CD crack, which still unfortunately means no sound, and periodic ZERR_OK messages. Still playable, but not great.
3) DeathDrome still runs great on period hardware.
If you've got a machine that reliably runs Windows 95 through Windows XP (Windows 98SE seems to be the best) and a CD copy of DeathDrome, it still works spectacularly with Kali. I've done it this way, also, on a 166 MHz Pentium laptop, and been able to connect to online games through Kali. This is a laptop without anything as modern as USB, mind you, so it doesn't do much else, but if you have hardware around that runs a 32-bit processor and an older OS, if you can connect it to the internet, everything should still be working fine. The aforementioned package contains a disc image of the original DeathDrome CD, so you can always try burning that.
4) DeathDrome may run okay on an x86 emulator.
By this I mean an emulator, not a virtualized machine. What I want to try is QEMU, but getting Windows to install to it even was so slow that I gave up for now. This would be an optimal fix for AMD users, since it literally emulates an intel x86 processor, and may get around both the sound, processor, and ZERR_OK issues. I'll report back when I know how it does for speed under QEMU, and give some rough system requirements if I can.
When using the Virtual Hard Disk I've compiled, it's best in Virtual Box if you give the machine at least 256 MB of RAM, 64 MB of video RAM, and enable both hardware 2D acceleration and hardware 3D acceleration. DeathDrome seems to run just fine under these conditions. Joysticks can be connected via USB and then passed through to the virtual machine, if you want to play that way, too.
If anyone wants the package I've put together with the Virtual Box hard disk image, let me know. I'd love to get playing some games again.
1) DeathDrome runs best in a Virtual Machine.
I've tried things like DxWnd to get it to run in a window (or windowed fullscreen) with hooks for DX3, and it just isn't reliable. Even with CPU optimization enabled, modern versions of DirectX just are not having any of it. Speed is unreliable, graphics are glitchy, and even on Intel processors, it still throws the ZERR_OK business once in a while. In a virtual machine running Windows XP, though, at 640x480 in 256 color mode, it runs at a stable framerate, physics aren't all wonky, and graphics are relatively stable. (The only issue I've run into so far is some strangeness when going from gameplay to menus, the screen splits along scanlines and displays in a funny resolution.) On the whole, it is totally playable, and I've even successfully connected to Kali and played online games this way.
2) DeathDrome runs best on an Intel processor.
This isn't news to anyone. We all know that the AMD crack has broken sound and stuff for years.
Right now, I have a package which contains a VirtualBox hard disk image of Windows XP, with DeathDrome and Kali installed, and a disc image of my retail DeathDrome CD that you can mount to both get around the CD check, and get CD audio from. On Intel processors, this works perfectly. This is the best option. On AMD processors, you have to use the AMD/No-CD crack, which still unfortunately means no sound, and periodic ZERR_OK messages. Still playable, but not great.
3) DeathDrome still runs great on period hardware.
If you've got a machine that reliably runs Windows 95 through Windows XP (Windows 98SE seems to be the best) and a CD copy of DeathDrome, it still works spectacularly with Kali. I've done it this way, also, on a 166 MHz Pentium laptop, and been able to connect to online games through Kali. This is a laptop without anything as modern as USB, mind you, so it doesn't do much else, but if you have hardware around that runs a 32-bit processor and an older OS, if you can connect it to the internet, everything should still be working fine. The aforementioned package contains a disc image of the original DeathDrome CD, so you can always try burning that.
4) DeathDrome may run okay on an x86 emulator.
By this I mean an emulator, not a virtualized machine. What I want to try is QEMU, but getting Windows to install to it even was so slow that I gave up for now. This would be an optimal fix for AMD users, since it literally emulates an intel x86 processor, and may get around both the sound, processor, and ZERR_OK issues. I'll report back when I know how it does for speed under QEMU, and give some rough system requirements if I can.
When using the Virtual Hard Disk I've compiled, it's best in Virtual Box if you give the machine at least 256 MB of RAM, 64 MB of video RAM, and enable both hardware 2D acceleration and hardware 3D acceleration. DeathDrome seems to run just fine under these conditions. Joysticks can be connected via USB and then passed through to the virtual machine, if you want to play that way, too.
If anyone wants the package I've put together with the Virtual Box hard disk image, let me know. I'd love to get playing some games again.